U.S. Marine Infantryman Lance Cpl. Steven Williams, 20, from Washington, poses for a portrait at his small patrol base, in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. Williams, on his memory of the Sept. ... more

U.S. Marine Infantryman Lance Cpl. Steven Williams, 20, from Washington, poses for a portrait at his small patrol base, in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. Williams, on his memory of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack: "I was in seventh grade, and we had a prayer with my football team, because we had family and friends over there." Williams, on why he joined the Marines: "I joined the Marines to better myself, to get away from what I was doing. It was just out of the blue. Just walked in one day (to the recruiting station). Couldn't find a job, it was hard. Hard living. So I walked in 2009, and left for Boot Camp in 2010."(AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) less